Starring:
Date: December 7, 2015
Summary:
Michiko drags some of her shinobi to a village west of the capital to investigate a family. Of course, things just can’t go smoothly.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Thieves of Torture - The Wagaren's Investigation"
Land of Lightning
Recall the Pyochi family? Yes, they've been taken care of by Kumogakure's forces, but the teams in charge of their … 'disposal'… were not as discreet as was required. This has resulted in almost the complete disappearance in activity from the suspects at hand. Fortunately, Michiko and Yori had already acquired a decent list of names. Today's targets? It was to investigate the Wagaren family! Michiko headed the team today, and she had told them to meet at the gates of Kumo. They'd be traveling to a village west of the capital, where the family had last been noted.
Arashi upon receiving the message headed out to find the rest of the team at the gates. It didn't take long honestly, and he was reading a book when he arrived. Though he did put it away to greet Michiko. "Hey Michiko. Uhhh. Mission sounds simple enough. Anything I need to know that wasn't explained already?" He finds something to sit on, or lean against as he lazily waits for the others.
Jon sure hopes things go more smoothly this time than with the last investigation. He wasn't present when the vital evidence was found, but from what he heard the investigative methods were…less than circumspect. -.-; And of course, with the suspects on guard, it's even less likely they'll display any incriminating evidence or behavior. "Reporting for duty, Michiko-san," Jon says as he walks up to the gates. "I don't suppose we've managed to gain enough evidence on these suspects already for a search warrant?"
The last thing Rise expected to read from the message was her participation in another mission. Dutifully, she answered the call, though with much trepidation weighing down her spirits. It might explain to some why she seemed more taciturn than usual. Aside from a full bow at the hips as a general greeting to all, the Shirokiri offered litte else her full attention.
"Sadly, a full warrant is what led them to flee their last home. The Wagaren family is not involved in this business like the Pyochi family, though. It's only a small branch like the initial ones we caught. But we have reason to believe they're hiding in their relatives' home. Which is what we're investigating," Michiko tells the group. She would nod lightly to Rise in greeting. "Rise-san, Arashi-san. After this mission, you'll be staying at the capital for a few days. Understand?" With that all said, time to move out! Michiko would take off…
Arashi listens to what Michiko had to say and then nods to the part about the warrants and the families. "Doesn't sound too hard though it probably will be a pain to do." He looks at Rise for a moment and the Michiko speaks again. "Yeah? Alright. Fine by me I suppose." He hops away from whatever place he was leaning against/sitting on. "Well I am ready to head out whenever."
Jon grunts uneasily as the team sets off toward their destination. "It's only hard if we do it right. There's only so much we can do to investigate private residences without overstepping our authority. Still, we have to do what we can." Scruvo clings tightly to Jon's shoulder as he runs. "You should try turnin' inta little lost puppies, then if they take ya inside it's their own blinkin' fault." :) Jon chuckles. "That actually almost would be legal, but I'm pretty sure it would still break some law…and it probably wouldn't work anyway."
Rise lifts her head up sharply, revealing wide and very much surprised heterochromatic eyes. Once the initial wave of shock leaves the woman is left standing there both confused and curious. But in the end, she settles for simply inclining her head in acceptance before taking off after Michiko. "You are right, Jon-sama. The more affluent tend to prefer cats and exotic animals over puppies anyhow." She states in passing, forgetting for a moment her own vow of silence. When it does finally occur to her, the wide-eyed and blushing Shirokiri made a point to keep her eyes off of the Saito duo's direction.
Michiko chuckles lightly at the suggestion. "If Raion-san were here, we could use his partner for such a thing. Alas…" Michiko would lead the group to the village at a rather fast clip, and the total travel time without a break would be two hours. Michiko lets the group catch their breath if needed while she explains a bit about the upcoming village. "The Wagaren family are a simple family within this village. Like the Pyochi family, they had one of their sons rise into a rather high position, this one within the courts. As such, they always try to set a good example. I think because we are no longer dealing with suspects, we can likely investigate with a warrant. Jon-san, I need you to handle this part since you have detective experience. The three of us will be watching. Rise-san, you shall accompany Jon-san and keep an eye on the others. Arashi-san and I will be seeking out the targets. If anything goes wrong… Just don't get captured."
Arashi follows along silenty until Michiko tells them the plan. He then nods before speaking up. "Alright Michiko. So where do we start looking then?" He pulls out a book and makes it seem like he is not paying any attention to the area around him when really he is looking elsewhere and keeping an eye on his surroundings. "And how many targets are there here?"
Jon nods slowly. "I see. We'll do our best, then." Well, that clears up the part about overstepping authority at least…although talking with the relatives of suspected criminals has its own set of difficulties. How do you tell someone 'We think your son might be a sadistic outlaw and we'd like you to spill the beans on him'? X)
Jon heads toward the place noted in the mission briefing. "Keep your eyes open, Shirokiri-san," Jon advises as they walk up to the door of the residence. "You never know what sort of details might prove useful later on." With that said, Jon knocks (or rings or whatever's appropriate) at the front door. "Hello? We're shinobi from Kumogakure. Don't worry, you're not in trouble, but we'd like to ask you some questions if you don't mind."
"H-hai…" Rise murmurs as she grudgingly looks to Jon from the corner of her eyes. Afterwards, the woman follows after her more experienced comrade, though her attention wavers towards their surroundings. She could not help trying to note oddities within the buildings, or checking to see if there might be any convient escape routes for the less nina inclined.
Then again, is it not possible their main targets have somehow mustered up the will and resources to learn a thing or two? Jon's words shake her from introspection. The price however is a mild, short-lived glare for treating her like a rookie. "Did you really have to say all of that /before/ they opened the door? 'Cus if so, we could just as well said, where authority figures. If you wish to avoid any trouble, bring us cash or waste our time out here trying to hide all of your illegal things." She states snarkily.
The door to the house would open slowly, and a rather nervous face would come to greet the two Kumo-nin. "Ah… Hello… What would you *CRASH* like from us, sir? " The young woman at the door would ask. Her face was pinched white out of fear. The crash sounded like fine china dropping to the floor.
Michiko would move Arashi off to the side. "Arashi-san, I need you to go speak to some of the people around town. I'll keep an eye on the edges… Something is giving me a bad feeling…"
Arashi looks at Michiko for a moment and nods slowly towards Michoko. "Alright Michiko. Lets see. I guess over here is as good as any. But first…. what should I ask about? Surely not everything is something we can just ask right? Or is it find to just planily ask them if they have seem someone out here?"
Jon chuckles faintly to Rise. "Well, we're hoping these people aren't directly involved in the criminal activity." ;) Jon nods politely when the door is answered. "Ah, yes, we'd like to speak with a member of the Wagaren household about Wagaren Kenchiro-sama. We think he may have gotten mixed up in some unfortunate business." Best to paint it in the most unaccusing light possible for now. Jon leans sideways as if to peer around the door. "That sounded a bit nasty, do you need to go take care of something? We can always wait in the foyer." Foot in the door…
Rise smirks, and seemed almost at the verge of saying something more when the door opens. Instead of reacting to the crash as most kids (the goat kind, though one might argue otherwise), Rise composes herself as one might expect out of a chuunin, trusting Jon to handle most of the speechifying. Or Scurvo. Either or were a better option than the more impulse driven Shirokiri, not that she wasn't already content keeping a close eye on the peripheral in the meantime.
RPCOMBAT: Rise defends against with a PERCEPTION-II…51
It is because Rise is so alert that the shinobi even have a chance to defend themselves. It is unfortunate for the assassin, mostly, because the darts he shot at the three are pretty easy to knock away or dodge. They were meant to be aimed very specifically!
Michiko raises a brow to Arashi. "Anything about the family, mostly. And if Kenchiro-san has been spotted anytime recently. They should know him since he grew up in this village."
Arashi looks back at Michiko a moment in the middle of him looking around. "Alright Michiko. No problem." He begins heading off to find the first person that looks like they may know something. "Excuse me ma'am. May I ask you a few questions." He would wait for a yes and hopes the Hitai-ate on his forehead and the chuunin type vest he wears is enough to warrant them. "Firstly has a Wagaren Kenchiro been spotted anytime recently?" He wanted to get that question out of the way first before asking more.
[NPC System]: Hidden Enemy roll(s) Blowdart vs. Jon, Rise, and Civvie from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 40. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Hidden Enemy roll(s) Blowdart vs. Jon, Rise, and Civvie from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 31. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Hidden Enemy roll(s) Blowdart vs. Jon, Rise, and Civvie from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 31. - Rolled by: Michiko
RPCOMBAT: Rise defends against with a TRICKY-WEAPON-BLOCK…41
RPCOMBAT: Rise defends against with a TRICKY-WEAPON-BLOCK…26
RPCOMBAT: Rise defends against with a TRICKY-WEAPON-BLOCK…30
Rather it was by chance or some subtle slip up on the assassin's part, Rise found herself acting upon the first signs of danger. She pivots on her heels, and with an audible click, several shuriken slide from her sleeves into her hands; only to be sent flying. Though all three hit their marks, shuriken weren't exactly the best match for needles. Two sink into her shoulder and arm from a poor deflection, but she shrugs off whatever immediate discomfort comes from it. Plus, at the very least the lovely conversation wouldn't be soured, right?
"Think its about time you two stepped inside to discuss things further, Jon?" Rise would try to calmly say even if increasing pain or numbness began seeping up her arm. "Like right now?" She asks more tersely before begining to trek towards the would be assassin.
Well, that might explain the nervousness. e.e Jon flips open a gate in his brain using chakra, then performs a flash-analysis of the situation. The assassin most likely has an accomplice inside the house, otherwise the person who answered the door wouldn't be so easily controlled. That means this is a hostage situation. It's likely enough there are multiple hostages, but there's one in front of Jon right now, one within his reach to do something with. It's risky to do anything sudden, but this is a critical moment in a hostage situation — most hostage-takers won't harm their hostages until they've communicated the threat of such to other parties, because they gain nothing and lose their leverage otherwise. Hence, Jon acts. He shoves the door open and knocks the woman down, covering her from other immediate danger with his body and quickly taking in the situation inside.
[NPC System]: Mystery Enemy roll(s) Darts vs Michiko from 40 to 80 and get(s) a 67. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Mystery Enemy roll(s) Darts vs Michiko from 40 to 80 and get(s) a 53. - Rolled by: Michiko
RPCOMBAT: Michiko defends against with a TENSE…13
RPCOMBAT: Michiko defends against with a EFFICIENT-METAL-BARRIER…68
RPCOMBAT: Michiko took 400 damage.
The one that Arashi chose to speak to would think for a few moments, then gives a shake of his head. "Nay, not that I've seen. Though his family all seems to be hiding something lately. Past couple days I rarely seen 'em!" Michiko would be asking her own questions of some of the townsfolk, of course, but neither Arashi nor Michiko would notice anything amiss at the Wagaren home. It's only when Michiko is left alone after asking a few questions of a young girl that someone attacks her as well. The attack was similar to the darts that Rise had deflected earlier…
One of the darts hits home, as Michiko didn't notice the enemy. The darts themselves only insert poison through the bloodstream, so once the poison is taken care of, it should be fine. The other dart bounces off Michiko's shielding after she realizes something is wrong, and she focuses her chakra… But she's limited by the poison. Because the poison is something that eats at a person's chakra rather than their physical body.
The woman would find herself being shielded by Jon, and the detective would see a number of crossbows all pointing at him. And Rise if she enters as well. The crossbows were loaded and ready to fire, and the only thing that kept the arrows from going off was a man who was a bit further to the back.
COMBAT: Michiko focuses 2972 stamina to turn it into 4000 usable chakra!
Arashi had no idea anything was going on and because of this didn't try and see what the others were doing. "So you rarely seen em? That means you have seen them though?" He thinks for a moment. "Do they stay in their houses often and when they come out where do they tend to be found?" He waits a tiny moment for an answer before asking another question. "Also what did they do normally before the past couple days came around and they started being seen less? Where were they usually found and such?"
Oh, fun. Looks like whoever this is really went to some extreme lengths to prepare for them. :P Would've been smarter to just run, even if they managed to kill a few Kumo ninja it would've only delayed matters, and for the ones who came after it would be PERSONAL. >P Well, nobody's verbalized any threats yet, besides the obvious one against Jon and by extension the poor lady who answered the door, and the best thing Jon can do to protect her is act swiftly. He jumps to his feet and draws his rod, spinning in a swift chakra-fueled circle and lashing out at the crossbow wielders arrayed around him. >.< Not smart to pack that tightly around a target when you've all got ranged weapons. :P
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 1 with WARRIORS-CIRCLE-B with a roll of: 54
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 2 with WARRIORS-CIRCLE-B with a roll of: 45
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 3 with WARRIORS-CIRCLE-B with a roll of: 36
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 4 with WARRIORS-CIRCLE-B with a roll of: 49
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 5 with WARRIORS-CIRCLE-B with a roll of: 46
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Dodge vs. Jon from 35 to 60 and get(s) a 35. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Dodge vs. Jon from 35 to 60 and get(s) a 39. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Dodge vs. Jon from 35 to 60 and get(s) a 39. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Dodge vs. Jon from 35 to 60 and get(s) a 53. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Dodge vs. Jon from 35 to 60 and get(s) a 46. - Rolled by: Michiko
Rise is only just as gentle as she needs to be when removing the darts (bolts?) without making things worse. While one might argue doing so without more professional help at least assisting might be a bad thing, she wasn't called princess tough toes for no reason!
*cough*
Moving along~
"I'd ask you to just surrender quietly, but-…." Rise trails off, noticing only after absently forming a handseal and trying to build up chakra that very little obeyed. Frowning, She risked a glance back at her arm, then refocused her sights on the assassin. "Tch! You've brought this on yourself." She doesn't wait for answer before taking off at speeds beyond that a normal eye can travel, only slowing down once she stood crouched down at her target's side. If the assassin that attacked her couldn't avoid getting sweeped off his feet, he would soon find a row of shark-like teeth buried in his throat. Heck, mayhaps it'll happen anyways just from bad luck!
COMBAT: Rise attacks target 1 with LEAF-GALE with a roll of: 37
COMBAT: Rise attacks target 1 with SHARP-III with a roll of: 50
[NPC System]: Assassin roll(s) Dodge vs Rise from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 26. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Assassin roll(s) Dodge vs Rise from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 35. - Rolled by: Michiko
RPCOMBAT: Michiko defends against with a MASTERED-EARTHEN-SENSE…71
COMBAT: Michiko attacks target 1 with EARTH-FLOW-RIVER with a roll of: 42
COMBAT: Michiko attacks target 1 with METAL-BINDING with a roll of: 60
[NPC System]: Assassin roll(s) Dodge vs Michiko from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 55. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Assassin roll(s) Dodge vs Michiko from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 48. - Rolled by: Michiko
The assassin that Rise had managed to find didn't really stand much of a chance. He was unable to defend against the whirlwind that engulfed him, so the bite to his neck was very successful, and it resulted in a gurgling scream of pain. Not that anyone would come to help him. The ones on his side that are nearby are all dealing with Jon, and they aren't faring as well as they'd like.
Four of the ten that were holding crossbows suddenly got knocked over the head, temporarily dazing them. So the other six began to fire their bolts at Jon and the woman he was trying to protect while the one man just stood back and watched.
Michiko would send a pulse of chakra through the ground to find her target, and then a wave of earth would try and catch him before the ground below him turned to metal bindings that would keep him in his spot. "There we are… I hope. You chose a bad time to make your move…" She says with a small frown.
Arashi would find himself under attack as well! As he was talking to people, he would find his new acquaintance had his head chopped off unless he noticed someone attacked and was able to stop it. A large blade would come swinging down and around towards the Hizumu's own head, as well.
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Huge Sword's slash vs Bystander from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 24. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Huge Sword's slash vs Arashi from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 41. - Rolled by: Michiko
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a PERCEPTION…34
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a WATER-RIBBONS…28
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a WATER-CLONE…54
Arashi noticed the blade coming down nearly chopping off the guys head who he was speaking to. Though he caught it quick enough and spit out a blast of water. Some of it reached out pushing the blade and the bystander away from each other, and as the blade collided with Arashi it was revealed a clone was hit instead. He places his hands into a seal which causes the water from the clone to slam the attacker into the closest surface before Arashi raises his hands sending out a quick two blasts of lightning.
COMBAT: Arashi attacks target 1 with WATER-CLAMP with a roll of: 30
COMBAT: Arashi attacks target 1 with LIGHTNING-SHOTGUN with a roll of: 38
[NPC System]: Assassin roll(s) Dodge vs Arashi from 20 to 45 and get(s) a 27. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Crossbolts vs Jon from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 41. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Crossbolts vs Jon from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 56. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Crossbolts vs Jon from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 44. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Crossbolts vs Civvie from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 52. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Crossbolts vs Civvie from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 40. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Enemy roll(s) Crossbolts vs Civvie from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 59. - Rolled by: Michiko
RP: Jon transforms into INSIGHT-OF-THE-SLEUTH.
RPCOMBAT: Jon defends against with a UNCANNY-DEFENSE…58
RPCOMBAT: Jon defends against with a UNCANNY-DEFENSE…71
RPCOMBAT: Jon defends against with a UNCANNY-DEFENSE…50
RPCOMBAT: Jon defends against with a UNCANNY-DEFENSE…68
RPCOMBAT: Jon defends against with a UNCANNY-DEFENSE…49
RPCOMBAT: Jon defends against with a UNCANNY-DEFENSE…66
Jon's eyes go intensely wide during the split-second when the crossbows are firing. No, he hasn't got a dojutsu; it's his brain that's amplified, taking in the details provided by his quite ordinary eyes and processing them at hyper-speed. As though in slow-motion, he calculates the necessary movements to defend against the multiple projectiles coming in at varying angles and slightly differing timing, then executes them. His rod turns deftly to deflect the course of the first arrow to a safe trajectory, then taps the weapon of the last mook to fire, spoiling his aim before the shaft can leave its notch. Next Jon tugs the rod with one hand and lets it slide through the other, covering himself from the next arrow coming at his midriff and actually redirecting it downward to intercept one of the arrows intended for the civilian lady. Finally he twists the two halves of the rod and lets it spring out to full length. The two ends smack away the final arrows coming in from the sides.
With that accomplished, Jon allows his brain to sync with normal speed for a moment while he picks up the woman and shoves her out the door. "Get outside and run! Try to stick close to my colleague!" Good thing crossbows take a good moment to prepare for firing again. X) Jon takes a moment to 'load' himself, gathering up his chakra while turning to face the crooks. "If you feel like trying that again, consider that I'll be even less hindered this time." >/
COMBAT: Jon focuses 8307 stamina to turn it into 11204 usable chakra!
RPCOMBAT: Rise took 700 damage.
The gurgled screams only prompt Rise to chomp down harder, holding the man more firmly until flesh inevitably gave away between her teeth. As the man continued to bleed out on the ground, Rise continued to watch patiently until the end without fully realizing it. She trembled as her senses fully return to her. Upon truly seeing her work for the first time, Rise doesn't hesitate to turn and rush back the way she came, muttering deresively under breath.
Only moments after Jon has made his suggestion, Rise arrives back at the door step having downed an antidote pill, and attempted again to try and build up her chakra reserves for the sake of the mission. The… did at least need someone alive to talk, right? c.c "Jo—!! Mmph… Well C'mon then!" She shouts at the woman, waving her onwards, ignoring how worrying her appearance might be, what with the blood covering her lips, chin, and top. Assuming the woman decides to trust the Kumo shinobi to take care of her, Rise wastes no time scooping her up and leaving the immediate area.
COMBAT: Rise cures Rise for 0 with ANTIDOTE PILL.
COMBAT: Rise focuses 2397 stamina to turn it into 2500 usable chakra!
Mr. Assassin keeps bleeding, eventually dying a horrible death in the jaws of Rise. Well, that's one way to take care of him… The woman that Jon is with finds herself with Rise, and she… Well, admittedly, the woman would rather be with Jon in the roomful of killers instead of with Rise, who had blood dripping everywhere. But Rise had her orders, and the Shirokiri ends up having to scoop up the civilian (likely the mother of their target).
Jon's enemies sour a bit when he sends off the woman, and he'll end up with something nagging the back of his mind. An illusion that would prompt him to see his death at the hands of… himself! Suicidal despair would wash over the detective, and the despair was so intense that he just might wanna hurt himself by the end of it all….
Arashi's enemy would end up getting zapped. Seems he was weak as well, and he ends up being a stunned victim (literally).
Michiko ends up with an opponent that can avoid her earth, but not her metal. Well, good for her! The girl grabs the would-be assassin and drags him off after tying him up. "Someone tell me why I ended up in this mess…" she mutters, casting her senses about to hunt down Arashi, Rise, and Jon. What she can detect isn't giving her any warm and fuzzy feelings, sadly…
RPCOMBAT: Michiko defends against with a MASTERED-EARTHEN-SENSE…50
Arashi eyes the guy that he seemed to stun a lot. Then if he had rope on him, or at least something similar, he would tie up this man to bring him with him. If not then he would use some water to hold the man in front of him before continuing on forward towards where he expects others are. The info he got was enough for him to at least talk with the others, and he needed to deal with this man first. Maybe he had some info of some kind.
[NPC System]: Mystery man roll(s) Suicidal Despair vs. Jon from 35 to 70 and get(s) a 42. - Rolled by: Michiko
RPCOMBAT: Jon defends against with a GENJUTSU-KAI…57
Jon doesn't take long to recognize there's something wrong with his train of thought and banish it with a jolt of his chakra system. "No way you're getting me with something like that. I've got waaaaay too much to live for." Jon collapses his rod back to sword-length and locks it. "Speaking of which, you guys need to start thinking about how much your lives are worth. I'm a lot more inclined to take prisoners that are cooperative." Jon grips his rod tightly and sets his feet close together in a pigeon-toed stance, then starts spinning rapidly. He slides across the floor on his chakra, whipping his rod in circles and barrelling through any lackies unfortunate enough to be between him and his main target, the apparent leader standing in the back.
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 1 with HURRICANE-SPIN-B with a roll of: 47
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 2 with HURRICANE-SPIN-B with a roll of: 46
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 3 with HURRICANE-SPIN-B with a roll of: 41
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 4 with HURRICANE-SPIN-B with a roll of: 39
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 5 with HURRICANE-SPIN-B with a roll of: 51
COMBAT: Jon attacks target 6 with HURRICANE-SPIN-B with a roll of: 49
[NPC System]: Crossbow Wielders roll(s) Block vs. Jon from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 48. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Crossbow Wielders roll(s) Block vs. Jon from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 27. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Crossbow Wielders roll(s) Block vs. Jon from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 25. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Crossbow Wielders roll(s) Block vs. Jon from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 20. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Crossbow Wielders roll(s) Block vs. Jon from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 41. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: Crossbow Wielders roll(s) Block vs. Jon from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 36. - Rolled by: Michiko
COMBAT: Rise attacks target 1 with STEALTH-II with a roll of: 38
Rise is not exactly in the most gentle of moods, so there's very little heed paid to any entreaties about slowing down or what not. The closest thing she comes to conceding to a plea is moving through the streets for a short while to avoid the obvious ninja route for awhile. Because of this shifting from one medium to the next, Michiko might have a little trouble trying to track her in the process. Just a smidge.
Once self-assured that no assassin seemed to be tailing the duo, Rise would again take refuge in a building just high and far enough away to watch the woman's home; like a clock tower, maybe. She sets her down with a bit more care, but immediatly walks over to look out the closest view point. "Alright… this should be good. Mind telling me what the deal was with those guys back there lady?" She asks, casting a sidelong glance at the lady from the corner of her eyes.
The woman is in quite a bit of shock from the high-speed travel. But eventually she finds her tongue. "They… Said they came to find my son… And then they … they started looking around for him… He wasn't home, of course. He left yesterday…."
Jon would be able to knock down another five of his opponents, leaving the genjutsuist and one last man with a crossbow. His weapon was smashed, but his skull at least wasn't. With all that being said… The genjutsu user seems to give up on whatever it is he wanted to do, and he starts running! …The dude with the crossbow tries to distract Jon.
Michiko would find Arashi first and eye his own enemy. "Tch… Well, this ought to be interesting… I assume you ended up in the same situation as I did, Arashi-san?" The girl sighs and presents her own prisoner to the Hizumu. "I think we should go check on the other two… You go to Jon-San. I'll find Rise-san. Take these two with you, since the house isn't far."
Arashi when stumbling across Michiko who seemed to find him nods slowly to everything she says. "Alright. Good luck in case you stumble across more of them." Then he makes sure that both of these two are tied up as well as holding his palms aimed at both of their backs. Any sudden movement and both of them get tazed. He does stay focused though and makes his way to wherever Jon is hopefully soon enough to not have to worry about more of these idiots.
COMBAT: Arashi focuses 5004 stamina to turn it into 6500 usable chakra!
Jon falls a bit short of hitting the main baddie with his spinning assault. That can happen sometimes, the more bodies in the way the more energy it takes to keep it up, and he can't do that attack forever without getting dizzy. >.<; He stops to regain his balance while the enemy leader makes a run for it. Just as Jon's about to take off in pursuit, the one remaining mook latches onto him. "Seriously?! I don't care what you're getting paid, it's not worth tackling the guy who just thrashed your whole crew!" >P Jon struggles for a moment getting a grip on the mook's wrist, then pulls some judo to wrench him off and bash his lights out.
Once free of that entanglement, Jon rushes to pursue the lead crook, but has no sight of him after leaving the house. Shoot. >.< Jon leaps onto the roof to see if he can spot him from a little higher, but only sees Arashi arriving. "Hey! Nobody just ran past you, did they?!"
Rise frowns, and for a few short moments studies the woman more closely for any signs of a lie. After the whirlwind of a trip across the village there was little to suspect. But if experience has taught the Shirokiri anything, it is not trust very few; including preconceptions themselves. With a light "Hmm", Rise's gaze returns to the village at large.
"Listen… We're gonna need a lot more than that, to be frank. So why not start from the begining while we wait for my comrades to finish up…. Unless you would prefer going back out there with me to go find them first?" Rise asked, teasing the woman with her serious tone. Seeing Jon and Arashi on the roof tops in the distance almost compels her to actual follow through on the suggestion anyways. Almost. But after a moment's pause Rise takes out a hand mirror, and gambles on signalling the duo instead.
RPCOMBAT: Michiko defends against with a BODY-FLICKER-TECHNIQUE…44
RPCOMBAT: Michiko defends against with a BODY-FLICKER-TECHNIQUE…37
RPCOMBAT: Michiko defends against with a BODY-FLICKER-TECHNIQUE…49
Michiko is able to find Rise and she appears next to the Shirokiri after a few bursts of speed that would take her to the rooftops. "Rise-san," Michiko starts before recalling there was a civilian right there. Also, Rise is covered in blood… Though a few more seconds and Michiko would notice that it wasn't Rise's. Well, that's a good thing… The girl would glance over to the woman, who apparently was startled enough by Michiko's appearance that she can't talk again. Michiko chose a bad time to appear…
Fortunately, both are wearing their hitai-ate in plain sight, so the woman is a bit more inclined to trust them. "Umm… N-no… Th… Ummm… My son came home a few days ago… Stayed with us. And he left yesterday. And then those strange men came in today… And they killed my husband with one of our plates… And then you came over…" she explains in a shaky voice.
Arashi looks towards the voice and sees Jon up on a roof. He quickly joins him, but brings the two prisoners with him if possible. Most likely using a little bit of water. "I don't think so. Maybe they did, but I was mostly paying attention to these two right here. This one right here tried to take off a civies head and mine in one swoop." He points towards the one he captured. "Figure if nothing else we could get info fromm them. This one Michiko gave to me, but for the most part since capture they have behaved. With a little incentive to behave." As he says the incentive to behave part lightning flickers between his fingers. "I think they understood the message. So what do we do next?" If Rise had done the sign yet he hasn't noticed, but would follow Jon if he did.
Jon grimaces slightly. "This seems like quite a coordinated attempt. They're not just trying to cover their tracks, they're laying traps for anybody who tries to investigate. Why?" Players, reading into details that GMs didn't think were important since the invention of bedtime stories. :D Jon sighs and heads down off the roof. "The squad leader for these guys got away. I've got a ton of mercs to truss up before they start waking up and trying to sneak off. Just hold your prisoners for now."
Rise starts at Michiko's sudden appearance, only to sigh seconds later and shake her head in exasperation. "Michiko… -sama." She replies hesitantly, then lofts a brow at the look given as if to say 'What?'. Unfortunately, with no obvious answer to look for (or one openly given for that matter), Rise looks back out to double check that Jon and Arashi are on their way. Seeing the two continue to goof off instead of pay attention earns both a quiet "tch" from the young woman.
Which will sadly go unnoticed due to distance…
"Well what do you wish to do now, Michiko-sama? If she can tell us where her son said he'd go, we could try and follow while the trails kind of hot. Otherwise…" She glances back and forth between Michiko and the civilian before focusing her full intent back on the others. Whatever the call was the Shirokiri was prepared to follow through on it.
"No… I'd rather we leave that for another day. We've gotten what information we need. I'll have Jon take a message back to Kumogakure. It seems we may need to start putting up some body guards, if what I fear is happening is true…" Michiko looks to the woman and considers her nervous form. "If you could, miss, I would prefer that you were safe. As such, I request that you go with Saito Jon, the detective from earlier, and stay in Kumogakure for a little bit." The woman would offer a nod in acceptance.
Arashi eventually would look around and from the rooftops could see people in the distance on another roof. Though he doesn't make out who it is he does figure it would either be Rise and Michi, or more villians. He would leave on of the two prisoners for Jon so he didn't have to concentrate on both before bounding off probably bumping that prisoner of his into things a few times as he holds him in water to keep him up. Once he gets there he pays little attention to the state any of them may be in, and just sets the prisoner he has down. "Hey Michiko. Rise. We taking these prisoners back with us to Kumogakure?"
Jon just follows through on his premise of securing all those crossbow grunts as prisoners. Scruvo, who has been perched unobtrusively a safe distance from the house all this time, ventures close enough to watch through the open door. "Crikey, all those boundahs holdin' one liddle missus 'ostage. Wondah if she wos secretly some kinda supah agent? 'Don't take yer eyes off 'er for an instant, men, or she'll viskerade us all!'" :o
Once he has them all sufficiently bound, Jon wakes his captives up, with a little lightning jolt where necessary, and marches them all off to rejoin with the rest of the Kumo team. Hope the local jails have some vacancies for at least temporary holding. -.-;
